
Advice for Businesses
In this video, Adam shares his advice for businesses looking to cut costs and save money without impacting their people.
Chamber Shout Out – Erie Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In this video, Schooley Mitchell’s Adam Baker talks about an incredible local organization he is a part of, the Erie Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Community Shelter Services
In this video, Adam Baker speaks about his experience working with a valued client, Community Shelter Services.
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We Understand Nonprofits’ Pain Points
In this video, Schooley Mitchell’s David Dow explains how we understand nonprofits’ pain points and work hard to relieve them.
Great Client Story!
In this video, Schooley Mitchellâs David Dow tells a great client story of a nonprofit Schooley Mitchell delivered savings for.
How Schooley Mitchell can help nonprofits.
In this video, Schooley Mitchell’s David Dow explains how he can help nonprofits, and shares a great client story!

PHILANTHROPY IS NOT JUST FOR THE UBER RICH
phi·âlan·âthro·âpy â fÉ-Ëlan(t)-thrÉ-pÄÂ
goodwill to fellow members of the human race; active effort to promote human welfare; an act or gift done or made for humanitarian purposes.
If you look up the definitions of âphilanthropyâ, nowhere will you find mention of personal wealth or the need to be rich. Yet today, itâs often thought that philanthropy is the domain of those with uber personal wealth and foundations with very deep pockets. This is not to say that the worldâs wealthiest individuals and foundations donât do enormous good with their money in helping to eradicate disease, foster innovation, and to support the arts, just to name a few things. The point is that itâs not an exclusive club, or at least I donât believe it has to be.
Who is a philanthropist?
I caught some flack a couple of years back when my artist statement for an exhibit I was having included that Iâm an âartist, entrepreneur, and philanthropistâ. The intention was not to be self-aggrandizing, but to point out that artists come in lots of shapes and sizes, with many interests, and that my partner, Jim, and I are committed to doing all the good we can with the resources we have created together. The common comeback was, âisnât that what you call the Gates, or Ford Foundation, or Carnegieâs orâŠâ â you can fill in the blanks. I was a bit taken back and stopped using the term for a while, but it bothered me that my deep passion for giving and helping didnât measure up to the word, simply because I have less.
The advent of micro lending has taught us that all people, not just huge banks and international organizations, can make a difference in helping to lift people out of poverty â not a handout but a hand up. Nonprofits like Heifer International and Kiva provide an accessible platform for anyone to assist entrepreneurs all over the world to start businesses which can sustain themselves and provide food, shelter, education, and living wages for their families. In some cases, like Heifer, it is a requirement that beneficiaries of a gifted animal pay it forward to others creating multiple and ongoing lifecycles of opportunity; or with Kiva you can continue to re-donate your initial $25 loan over and over again. These organizations take a modest original contribution and turn it into a powerful cyclical gift.
This topic came to mind again recently, when I was speaking with an educator and collaborator on an important nonprofit project. She is the Dean of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences for a local college, as well as a first-generation college graduate who worked hard to put herself through an undergraduate program, Masterâs, and Ph.D. She went on to teach at liberal arts colleges on the east coast for decades before coming to lead the liberal arts and social science programs at our very innovative, inclusive, and transformational community college.
While speaking with this collaborator, she shared with me that she has never been wealthy, has had to work hard for the life that she has created for herself and son, but that she gives monthly, every month, to a childrenâs research hospital. Her donation is not large but itâs consistent. She embodies what I believe to be philanthropy and being a philanthropist at its purist.
We can all practice philanthropy, regardless of our wallets.
I will continue to be a philanthropist, and label myself as such, through giving, volunteering, and advocating for causes that I believe are important and worthy. Iâd like to call on all of you to join the club and share three simple things that we/you can do:
- Make a âcontinuityâ donation: a monthly donation, no matter what size, that allows the organization to know and budget for the income that people like you are sending. It adds up and allows organizations to point to this stable donation base with lenders, granters, and donors, which has great value to their development efforts far beyond the size of your donation.
- Volunteer your time: Nowhere does it say that thereâs a minimum cash donation required to âmake an active effort to promote human welfareâ. Many, maybe all, nonprofits need help in executing their missions, but are often stretched very thin when it comes to human resources. Your time may help them save an animal from a no-kill shelter, rescue a child sheltering in place with an abuser, or feed a family struggling to make it despite their hard work â the list is endless.
- Advocate for causes and organizations that are important to you and your communities: Money is important but equally so is awareness. Become a storyteller for the nonprofit(s) that you care about. Be ready to tell their story to friends, family, your network, to your Chamber of Commerce, BNI, Rotary Club, or other organizations that you might be involved with â your words may well inspire others to support the cause you care so much about.
In conclusionâŠ
Many of us want to do more in our communities, but feel a financial obstacle in our way. While it would be wonderful to have the kind of income that allows us to make donations with lots of zeros to the nonprofits we believe in, large financial donations are not the only way to practice philanthropy.
Are you harnessing the full power of the ânetwork effectâ?
During times of economic uncertainty, clients depend on strategic business advisors more than ever. Chances are, youâre doing all the right things; you understand your clientâs business, you have optimized your suite of products and services, and you have provided excellent strategic advice across your domain of expertise. So, what else can you do to provide even more value and build stickier relationships?
Are you familiar with the power of the ânetwork effectâ?
The concept of the ânetwork effectâ originated in the tech space, and refers to the phenomenon where the value of a product or service increases as more people use it. Take social media, for example. Platforms like Instagram or TikTok became more valuable as more users joined and contributed content, despite more niche beginnings.
The network effect also creates economies of scale for companies with large user bases, allowing them to leverage their size to reduce costs and increase profits.
Our personal and business networks work the same way.
We all know itâs impossible to be all things to all people. We learned that in our Marketing 101 class! Â Thatâs why growing a diverse and highly curated personal and business network can be so valuable to your success.
The value of your network increases as you connect with more people. During a job search, the more people you know, the more likely you are to be connected to someone hiring or be provided with a good reference. Â As a business owner, a diverse network is more likely to help you get new customers or referrals or connect you with the right subject matter expert.
Have you recently made the effort to expand and diversify your networks?
While we all serve as experts in our unique business domain, have you explored tapping into a broader set of experts that can complement your expertise and provide even more value to your clients?  New connections can instantly unlock resources, insights, and revenue opportunities for your clients with just a simple introduction. I know we all tend to network with the âusual suspectsâ like accountants, attorneys, and financial advisors. But have you explored some more âunder the radarâ experts like:
- Industry associations and trade groups that can help our clients while keeping us up-to-date on industry trends, regulations, and best practices. These organizations can also provide networking opportunities with other businesses in the industry as we build our expertise.
- Tech-savvy marketing and advertising agencies that help our clients execute creative marketing campaigns, including digital marketing, social media marketing, and advertising. These agencies tend to work with clients on a high growth trajectory.
- Human resources consultants that help clients with talent management, including recruitment, training, and performance management. These consultants can help navigate an extremely tight labor market for our clients.
- Cost procurement experts that help our clients with specific pricing knowledge and expertise in a particular industry or cost category. These experts identify new vendor options, unlock new savings opportunities, and track changing market dynamics.
As a Schooley Mitchell franchise owner, I work across almost every industry. Our cost categories apply to virtually every business. As a result, I am constantly engaged in conversations across a broad set of business topics, trends, and challenges. Â I am constantly looking to my network of experts and clients to help me address their diverse set of business needs.
How about we set up a call to discuss how we could collaborate and collectively harness the power of our unique personal and business networks?